But as this picture shows, great white sharks do not always get things right when moving in for the kill.

A shocked group of tourists in False Bay, South Africa, were left amazed when they saw this 12ft shark emerge from the water to catch a seal.

Incredible: Tourists in False Bay, South Africa, were left amazed when they saw this 12ft shark emerge from the water to catch a seal. But despite being one of the world's most feared predators, it badly misjudged its attackBut rather than carrying out a swift kill, the shark slightly misjudged its attack which resulted in the poor seal being finely balanced on the nose of the predator.

The amazing scene was captured by South African wildlife photographer Chris Fallows near Seal Island, which is home to an estimated 64,000 seals and a group of great white sharks which hunt them.

A group of tourists with the photographer were left stunned by what they saw.

Mr Fallows said: 'The guests aboard the boat were speechless with some guests even crying after the dramatic spectacle they had witnessed.'

After balancing on the nose of the shark, the seal swiftly dove back under water.

Unfortunately the shark gave chase and it is not known if the seal escaped with its life.

The largest great white sharks are known to exceed 20 ft in length and can have a life span of more than 30 years.

As well as seals, they are also known to prey upon a variety of other marine animals including fish and seabirds.